


Seeing Clearly

by SharkGirl



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Ba Sing Se, Established Relationship, Flirting, Headaches, Implied Sexual Content, King Wu working on democracy, Kissing, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Ba Sing Se, M/M, Mako living in Ba Sing Se to help, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Sweet, Unreliable Narrator, Worry, head massages, medical scare, minor angst with a happy ending, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26725468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: “I thought you were done for the day?” he asked with a quirked brow.Damn. Mako had planned on being finished before Wu retired. “I was just wrapping up,” he lied.“Mhm,” Wu replied, though he didn’t sound convinced. “Your work ethic is admirable,” he sighed. “If not completely infuriating,” he added with a chuckle. “May I?” He gestured toward the stacks. “I don’t want to mess up the order.”
Relationships: Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 124





	Seeing Clearly

**Author's Note:**

> So, a tweet of Bri's inspired this fic. I won't spoil it, but...well, you'll see!  
> This was supposed to be a short little thing, but it turned into a bigger glimpse into Mako and Wu's lives post-canon. Oops~
> 
> Beta'd by my awesome sibling, Joey ♥  
> Please enjoy!!

Mako squinted at the papers before him, the text seeming to dance in the flickering firelight. He brought them closer and frowned. With a quiet, but aggravated growl, he increased the size of the flame hovering in his palm. It was hard to make out Bolin’s handwriting. Which was odd because his penmanship was usually pretty neat, colorful drawings notwithstanding. But maybe he’d rushed, since things sounded busy.

The bedsheets shifted as the form beside him stirred. Shit.

“Trying to set the bed on fire, dearest?” Wu asked, his voice rough with sleep.

Mako glanced over and noticed the size of the flame. He hadn’t meant for it to grow so large. He let it fizzle out and shot Wu an apologetic glance. “Sorry.”

“That’s all right,” Wu said as he scooched closer, throwing an arm over Mako’s lap. “But you know, I didn’t wait three weeks for my staff to convert the entire palace to electric power so you could read by bending.” He snickered. “Anything interesting?” he went on when Mako didn’t immediately answer. “A love note?”

“No...” Mako sighed and set it down. “Just Bolin’s letter.”

“Ah, you didn’t really get a chance to read it earlier, huh?” Wu hummed. “Any cute artwork included this time?” He chuckled and pressed his face into Mako’s side, his breath warming his skin through his thin undershirt.

“No pictures of you, I’m afraid,” Mako replied, bringing a hand to comb through Wu’s soft curls. “Just Pabu and Opal.” He snorted. “Though, I’m not sure which is which.”

Wu gave Mako’s thigh a playful swat. “Be nice.” Then he stretched and stifled a yawn. “You could have turned the lights on, you know.”

But Mako shook his head. “I didn’t want to wake you,” he said, though he knew it was a little late for that. “Sorry, again.”

“No need to apologize.” Wu sat up so he could rest his head on Mako’s shoulder. He lifted a hand to trace down Mako’s arm, his fingers pausing to drum on his palm. “But the next time you want to heat things up in the bedroom...wake me first,” he teased.

Mako rolled his eyes and turned to face him. Wu tilted his head and met him halfway for a soft, lazy kiss. He might have actually still been half asleep. “You should go back to bed,” Mako whispered, even though they were the only ones there.

“I am in bed,” Wu hissed back against his lips. 

“You know what I meant,” Mako challenged.

“Mm…” Wu moved his hand to rest on Mako’s knee. “I’m actually wide awake now, so...” He bit his lower lip, and heat pooled low in Mako’s belly at Wu’s tone.

He could always finish reading the letter tomorrow.

The next day, Mako was busy. It felt good to be doing something, even if he was a glorified secretary. He had always been good at filing and, as it turned out, switching forms of government involved a lot of paperwork.

He didn’t mind. Especially considering the alternative was sitting around all day while Wu was in and out of meetings. Diplomacy, huh.

Of course, around midday, Mako’s head began to throb.

He set down the scroll he was reviewing and pinched the bridge of his nose, his fingers moving up to massage his forehead.

“Mako~” Wu’s voice carried through the office, the sing-song tone bouncing off the high ceilings. “Are you ready for--” but he paused. “Are you all right?”

Mako lowered his hand and offered an admittedly weak smile. “Just tired, I think.” That was probably it.

“Oh.” Wu smiled and waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe I shouldn’t have kept you up so late, then.”

Warmth flooded Mako’s cheeks before he cleared his throat. “On break for lunch?” He changed the subject.

“I am, actually!” Wu replied with a flourish. “Would my handsome prince consort care to join me for a picnic?”

Mako stood up and closed the distance between them. “First off,” he began, raising a hand to lift Wu’s chin. “In order for me to have that title, Your Majesty, we would need to be married. Which we aren’t--”

“Yet,” Wu supplied with a wink.

Mako’s face flushed, but he continued, “And you’re stepping down, so, I don’t think it really fits--”

Wu cut him off with a kiss. “Will you join me for a picnic or not?” he asked. “Because I know you haven’t eaten since breakfast and I swear, I will spread the blanket out in here if I have to.”

With a chuckle, Mako conceded -- but not before giving Wu another kiss in return -- In fact, at the mere mention of food, his stomach began to growl. That could be why his head hurt. He hadn’t eaten anything since their quick breakfast before Wu’s first meeting early this morning.

“Let me just put this away,” Mako said as he reached for the scroll. He was pretty sure he knew where to store it. He double-checked the year, but couldn’t quite make out the numbers. His head throbbed again and he closed his eyes.

Maybe he was hungrier than he thought.

“It can wait,” Wu said, slipping his arm in Mako’s. “C’mon, big guy, let’s go eat.”

With a sigh, Mako set the scroll down and let Wu lead him out of the office. He’d probably feel better after lunch.

Later that evening, Mako was on their bed, the surface cluttered with various documents, which he was trying to put back in chronological order. The looters had definitely been thorough in their search for valuables in the palace after the fall of the late Earth Queen. They hadn’t skipped a single shelf in their ransacking. And no one had thought to reorganize it in the years since.

He would have preferred to do this sort of work in the office, but Wu had kicked him out. Well, he hadn’t been kicked out, exactly. But there were guards at the office door because Mako ‘needed to rest.’

Hypocritical, considering Wu was still in his meeting with the Omashu dignitary.

Mako rubbed at his eyes as he tried to study the faded text before him. His head wasn’t throbbing like earlier, but there was still a dull ache that he hadn’t been able to shake all day. He’d eaten properly and drank plenty of water, but it remained, making it very hard to focus.

Though, he’d apparently been doing a pretty good job blocking everything else out, because Mako only tore his gaze from the pile when someone cleared their throat. He looked up to find Wu, his arms crossed over his chest and an unamused expression on his face.

“I thought you were done for the day?” he asked with a quirked brow.

Damn. Mako had planned on being finished before Wu retired. “I was just wrapping up,” he lied.

“Mhm,” Wu replied, though he didn’t sound convinced. “Your work ethic is admirable,” he sighed. “If not completely infuriating,” he added with a chuckle. “May I?” He gestured toward the stacks. “I don’t want to mess up the order.”

Mako smiled. “I’ve got them,” he assured him and then began piling them up so he could come back to them later. Unfortunately, there were quite a few and Mako accidentally knocked some loose sheets onto the floor. “Damn--”

“I’ve got them,” Wu echoed with a little smirk. He bent down and picked up the scattered papers. “Where do these go?” he asked, handing them over. Mako accepted them with an appreciative smile, but frowned as he scanned the pages. He couldn’t read the dates.

He groaned and rubbed at his eyes.

“Is your head still bothering you?” Wu asked, the mattress dipping as he took a seat beside him.

Mako let his hand drop and shook his head. “Just tired.”

“So you said earlier,” Wu countered with a slight frown. “Which was why I suggested that you take a break.”

“Suggested,” Mako mimicked with a snort. “You locked me out of the office and told the guards not to let me in.”

Wu hummed. “And yet you somehow managed to sneak some paperwork into our bedroom.” He sighed.

“I’m putting them away,” Mako argued, squinting at the pages again. “If I could read these damn dates.”

Wu took them from Mako’s hands with nimble fingers. “124 AG, 116 AG, and 135 AG,” he read aloud before passing them back. “Old, but definitely written within the last few years,” Wu said. “They’re not nearly as faded as the rest of the text.

Mako grumbled as he filed them away. He probably could have read them easily if he hadn’t been staring at papers all day.

“Which is why you need to rest,” Wu told him. Oh, Mako had said that out loud. “Honestly, Mako, maybe you should take tomorrow off,” he suggested. “Or you could join me for my meetings. You know how much I value your input.”

But Mako declined. “I’ve almost got the office done.”

Wu fixed him with a look. “Are we talking about the same office I dragged you out of this afternoon?”

“And locked me out of this evening? Yes.” Mako rolled his eyes. “It’s organized chaos.”

“If you say so,” Wu replied with a sigh.

Mako would have made a better argument, but the dull ache in his head gave a throb. He grimaced as he set the file down on his nightstand. Maybe Wu was right.

“Of course, I am,” Wu replied. “I’m always right.” He sounded proud, but when Mako turned to face him, Wu looked concerned. “Do you want me to get you something for your head?”

Mako rubbed at his forehead again. “It’s not too bad,” he said. “I probably just need to sleep it off.”

However, Wu was already in motion, grabbing Mako’s pillow and setting it across his lap before giving it a pat. “Lie down,” he instructed with a gentle smile. And Mako wasn’t about to argue again. Not with how determined Wu looked.

So, Mako did as he was told. “What are we doing?” he asked, looking up at Wu’s face, silhouetted by the recently installed light fixtures.

“I,” Wu stressed, “am going to give you a head massage,” he explained. “You just lie back and let my magic fingers do all the work.”

Mako snorted, but closed his eyes, releasing a soft hum when Wu began rubbing his temples in small, soothing circles. It felt good. Really good, actually. Wu moved his fingers lower, to the sides of his face. “Unclench your jaw,” he ordered lightly and Mako did. “Ooh, these muscles are tight.”

“I can’t really--”

“Shh! No talking,” Wu interrupted and Mako just sighed, willing the muscles of his face to relax. Wu took care in massaging every inch, from under Mako’s eyes to his forehead, to the little knots in the muscles just below his eyebrows, which he apparently got from “frowning too much.”

“I don’t frown that much.” Mako frowned.

“Mhm,” Wu replied before burying his fingers in Mako’s hair and massaging his scalp. And, oh, Mako didn’t say anything for a while after that. That felt amazing. “Good?” Wu asked some time later.

“S’good…” Mako replied drowsily, feeling as though he could fall asleep at any moment.

“Good,” Wu said before sliding his hands under Mako’s head and pressing his fingers into the tight muscles of his neck. Mako tensed and Wu clicked his tongue. “Definitely taking the day off tomorrow.”

Mako relaxed into the pillow. Maybe he’d settle for a delayed start.

True to his late-night decision, Mako slept in the next morning, only waking when Wu pressed a kiss to his forehead before dashing out the door. Though, truthfully, Mako had caught Wu by the front of his jacket and kissed him properly -- a few times -- before he let the king go.

Breakfast had been waiting on a cart by the bed, so Mako helped himself. Life at the palace was truly spoiling him. But he didn’t mind too much. After all, Wu needed him.

Once he finished eating, he got out of bed and headed toward the closet. Today, instead of immediately setting to work on the office project, Mako decided to train for a bit. He’d been neglecting it and he couldn’t run the risk of getting rusty. After all, he was still a member of Team Avatar.

Apparently, Wu had expected this -- or had wanted to encourage it, so Mako wouldn’t hole himself up in the office all day -- because there was a man waiting outside their bedroom door.

“Follow me,” he said with a quick bow and Mako just rolled with it. It was either this or try to find the gym in the maze that was the palace hallways. He’d found it by himself once before, but...anyway.

Mako was led outside to where two other people were waiting, both clad in Earth Kingdom green. They bowed to him and Mako returned the sentiment. Then they got into stances, ones Mako recognized, having sparred and fought alongside Bolin his entire life.

“Ready?” the first man asked and Mako nodded. “Begin!”

However, instead of sending rocks hurtling toward him, the benders began propelling clay disks high into the air. They reminded Mako of the ones used in pro-bending. He grinned as the first two began falling back toward the ground. This would be fun.

Mako didn’t miss a single target. And it felt great. They’d spent a good couple hours sending those decoys in every direction and Mako had worked up a good sweat.

He’d missed this.

“Thank you,” he said, when the benders had finally run out of disks. They bowed again and began cleaning up the broken pieces, forming them into a big ball before loading them onto a cart.

“Lunch will be served in the garden,” the first man said with another bow. Lunch? Already? More time had passed than Mako had realized. He should probably shower first. But just as he thought of it, a familiar voice caught his attention.

“Don’t go thinking I missed those shots!” Wu cheered as he walked up to him. “I had a great view from the meeting room.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Next time, I want a front row seat, though.” He wrapped his arms around Mako’s middle, not seeming to mind that he was drenched in sweat. “I see you’ve still got it.”

Mako ducked down and kissed him, tasting salt on his tongue. “I guess I do.”

“Not that I doubted for an instant,” Wu promised. “So, lunch?”

Mako looked down. “I should shower.”

But Wu waved him off. “It’s hot out,” he said. “We can shower after.” He took Mako’s hand in his and threw a wink over his shoulder. Oh. All right then.

Lunch was delicious. But so was every meal Mako had eaten since arriving in Ba Sing Se. He’d have to do more of that training just to keep from getting out of shape. Wu was explaining the newest addition to his list of challenges in converting to democracy, when someone came up to the table.

“A letter for His Majesty’s guest,” he said, bowing low and holding out a tray with an envelope on it. Mako had seen him before, but he didn’t know his name. There were so many members of the palace staff now that Mako was surprised he’d run into the same person twice.

“Uh, thanks,” Mako said, taking the letter.

“Ooh, aren’t we popular?” Wu teased from across the table, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers. “Who’s it from?”

Mako frowned at the return address. It was fuzzy, no doubt smudged in transit. He shrugged and opened it. “Oh, it’s from Asami.”

“Good news, I trust?” Wu asked, picking up his tea cup and taking a sip.

“I’m not sure,” Mako answered truthfully. She’d written quite a lot and he didn’t want to be rude and read it during lunch. He did, however, scan it, looking for words like ‘hurt,’ ‘sick,’ ‘dead,’ or anything else that should worry him.

“You’re not going to read it?” Wu cocked his head to the side.

“I’ll wait until you’re back in your meetings,” Mako replied.

At that, Wu grinned and placed a hand over Mako’s on the table. “And after our shower.”

Oh. Yes. Definitely after that.

Sometime later, when Mako was freshly washed and dried, he managed to get back into the office. However, instead of getting straight to work, he sat down at one of the desks and began reading Asami’s letter.

It was really just her way of catching him up on everything that was going on in Republic City. She didn’t skip a single detail and he appreciated it. And, from the look of it, everything was going well.

About halfway through, Mako had to turn on the lamp. It was dim in the office and the late afternoon sun wasn’t illuminating it enough. The now familiar throbbing between his eyes returned just as he finished reading Asami’s postscript about Naga finding her shoe closet and treating it like a buffet.

Mako set the letter down and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was getting annoying. He’d been so good today, too. He’d rested. And yet…

“I thought I’d find you here,” Wu called, but Mako didn’t look up. His head was killing him. “Mako?” Wu’s voice cracked. “Mako, are you all right?” There was a gentle touch on his shoulder. “Not your head again?”

“It’s fine,” Mako replied through gritted teeth. “It’ll pass.”

But Wu wasn’t having it. “I’m calling the doctor.” And Mako didn’t fight him. He just closed his eyes and leaned forward, letting his head rest on the desk.

He was given a full examination -- at Wu’s insistence -- and, after every test imaginable, the doctor had one more for him.

“I’m going to hold up a piece of paper,” she said, taking a few steps away from him and lifting it. There was text on it, in several different sizes. “Cover one eye.” Mako did. “What’s the smallest line you can read.”

Mako could hear Wu pacing outside the door, but he focused on the letters in front of him, reading them off. The doctor made a note and had him do it again, this time covering the other eye. They repeated this a few times, the paper and distance changing, until she began to pack up.

“I’ll have to refer you to a specialist,” she said just as Wu burst into the room.

“A specialist?” Wu gasped, brows furrowed. “What is it?” He placed his hands on Mako’s shoulders and Mako reached up to hold them, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “What’s wrong?”

The doctor didn’t seem a fraction as worried as Wu, so that kept Mako calm. “It’s his vision, Your Majesty,” she said before turning her attention on Mako. “You just need glasses.”

Mako blinked. “Glasses?” Then he frowned. “I can see just fine.”

“It’s true!” Wu came to his defense. “I saw him at target practice today and he didn’t miss a single one.”

The doctor picked up her bag. “That very well may be and I can’t speak for the specialist, but it seems to fit with all his symptoms,” she explained. “Blurred vision, headaches, especially after filing paperwork all day.” She adjusted her own glasses with a smile. “Again, it’s not my area of expertise, but he’ll probably only need them for reading.”

Wu’s hands fell away from Mako’s shoulders to pull him into a hug. “So...he’s not dying?”

The doctor chuckled. “No, Your Majesty,” she replied. “He’s just farsighted.”

The specialist -- an optometrist, as it turned out -- arrived the following day and fitted Mako with a pair of glasses. “You should wear these while reading or looking at anything up close,” he instructed. “And make sure to rest your eyes if they begin to bother you.”

“I assure you, he will!” Wu swore.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” He bowed. “I’ll have the designs you selected ready later this week.”

That caught Mako’s attention from where he was seated at the desk, inspecting his new glasses in the small mirror Wu had brought in. “Designs? What designs?”

“Oh,” Wu answered, after bidding the optometrist farewell, “While he was testing your vision, I noticed that there were some really cute frames.”

“Cute--”

“And it was so hard to pick a color, so I went ahead and ordered all of them.” He giggled.

Mako fixed him with a look. “All of them…”

“All of them,” Wu confirmed. “Because, I have to admit…” He bit his lip as he slid into Mako’s lap, the desk chair creaking under their combined weight. “You look really, really good in these.” He took a hold of the frames and straightened them.

“Oh?” Mako asked, his hands making their way to Wu’s hips to keep him steady. 

“Mhm…” Wu nodded. “Very smart. Very sexy.”

Mako snorted, but then sucked in a breath when Wu rolled his hips. “Wu…”

“And I can’t wait to see you in each--” he pressed their lips together, “--and every--” another kiss, “--pair.” Mako smiled and reached up to get his new glasses out of the way, but Wu stopped him. “Leave them on,” he breathed.

“You know,” Mako said, taking Wu’s hand in his and kissing each fingertip lovingly, “I only need these for reading.”

Wu gave a little pout. “I know that.” But then he smirked. “I also know that you bring your work to bed with you,” he teased.

And so, feeling rather bold, Mako stood up, chuckling as Wu’s legs tightened around his waist. Then he reached forward, sweeping the few remaining papers off of the desk before setting Wu on it. “Who said we were going to bed?” he asked huskily.

“Ooh!” Wu brought a hand to his mouth. “Glasses Mako is so sexy!” 

At that, Mako couldn’t help but laugh. He let his head fall to rest on Wu’s shoulder, feeling the tremors of the other’s laughter wracking his slender frame. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you,” Wu said, placing a hand on either side of Mako’s face before squishing his cheeks. “Are taking another day off tomorrow.” He grinned “And so am I.”

And he would have put up a fight, but… Well, by now, Mako knew better than to argue.

**Author's Note:**

> Mako in glasses! Mako in glasses! Mako in glasses!  
> Yes, please.  
> Wu loves them. That's a fact.
> 
> As always let me know what you think with a comment/kudos and feel free to hmu on Twitter @bySharkGirl~


End file.
